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| Reptile | |
|---|---|
| Mortal Kombat character | |
 Reptile inMortal Kombat X (2015) | |
| First appearance | Mortal Kombat (1992) |
| Created by | Ed Boon John Tobias |
| Designed by | |
| Voiced by | Various
|
| Portrayed by | Keith Cooke (1995 film) Jon Valera (television) Richard Dorton (short film) |
| Motion capture | Daniel Pesina (MK,MKII)[5] John Turk (UMK3)[6] Chris Mathews (MK9) Noah Fleder/Chris McClure (MK1) |
Reptile (/ˈrɛptaɪl/REP-tyl) is a character in theMortal Kombat fighting game franchise byMidway Games andNetherRealm Studios. He debuted in theoriginal 1992 game as a hidden opponent, establishing him as the first secret character in fighting game history. Reptile became playable in the follow-upMortal Kombat II (1993) and has remained a mainstay of the franchise. As implied by his name, he is a Saurian, a fictional species ofreptilian humanoids. One of the last surviving members of his race, he aligns himself with the series' primary villains in the hope his service will lead to the Saurians' revival.
Outside of the games, Reptile has appeared in various related media. Reception to the character has been positive, with praise for his evolution from a hidden character to one of the franchise's most iconic fighters.
Reptile's character concept was conceived byMortal Kombat co-creator and lead programmerEd Boon after theoriginal 1992 game was released into arcades. Noting the success of thepalette swap method used for the sprites of the game's ninja charactersScorpion andSub-Zero,[6] he and series character designerJohn Tobias collaborated on including a "super secret hidden feature" in the game who would be a "cooler version of Scorpion".[7] Boon and Tobias were inspired by theSheng Long urban legend fromStreet Fighter II when Reptile was conceived as a hidden character.[8] Reptile was completed in a single evening,[9] and inserted into the third revision of the game in August 1992, the same month the game was first released.[10] Reptile was not selectable nor playable as his inclusion was originally intended as a marketing tool for the game due to the extreme conditions required for players to encounter him, with the developers in turn hoping word of mouth would spread rumors of the character's existence.[11] Boon noted in a 1995 interview that the positive response to the character led to Reptile's inclusion in subsequent series installments as a playable fighter.[12][better source needed]
Reptile appeared in the digitizedMortal Kombat fighting games as a palette swap of the two male ninja characters, with his green armor representing a combination of Scorpion and Sub-Zero's yellow and blue, respectively.[7] He retained this design upon his playable debut inMortal Kombat II (1993), with his true reptilian nature first revealed whenever his face mask was pulled down for his acid spit attack, or removed entirely for his tongue-grabFatality and his arcade ending.[13][14] He and the other ninja characters were omitted fromMortal Kombat 3 (1995) but included in the upgradeUltimate Mortal Kombat 3. For the three-dimensional releaseMortal Kombat 4 (1997), he was given a unique design for the first time with minimal body armor, his face fully exposed, and more of his true reptilian identity revealed.[6][15] With the palette-swap characters receiving distinct makeovers for the series' three-dimensional fighting games, Reptile was given a full reptilian design inMortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002) that included a long tail while he wore minimal gold and black armor,[16] a design that was maintained for his nonplayable appearance in the 2005beat 'em up titleMortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks with the exception of black straps wrapped around his head that left his eyes and mouth exposed.[17] Reptile did not appear inMortal Kombat: Deception (2004), but returned with the then-entire series roster in the 2006 compilation titleMortal Kombat: Armageddon.
As a secret non-playable character in the firstMortal Kombat, Reptile copied Sub-Zero's and Scorpion's special moves and fought with increased speed.[18][19] He received his own distinct set of attacks starting with his playable debut inMortal Kombat II.[20]
Reptile'sFatalities inMKII consist of revealing his reptilian face and using his long tongue to devour the opponent's head, or turninginvisible and severing their torso.[20] Later finishing moves expand upon the concept, ranging fromregurgitating acid upon the defeated opponent to leaping upon their body and gnawing the flesh from their skulls.[14] In a 2006 series retrospective, theMortal Kombat development team named Reptile's finishers as some of their favorites from the series.[21]
In the originalMortal Kombat (1992), Reptile is an unplayable hidden character.[11][22] He randomly appears onscreen prior to a match with clues on how to access him, with players then required to follow specific guidelines in order to fight him.[10][23] InMortal Kombat II (1993), Reptile is now a playable character with the storyline of his being a member of a reptilian race from the fictional dimension of Outworld that was enslaved by itsevil emperorShao Kahn. Promised the revival of his race in exchange for his loyalty, Reptile serves as the bodyguard of evil sorcererShang Tsung.[24] Reptile was omitted fromMortal Kombat 3 (1995), but returned for the upgradeUltimate Mortal Kombat 3. He is assigned to find and assassinate Edenian princessKitana after she kills her evil twinMileena.[25] InMortal Kombat 4 (1997), he serves as a minion to the fallen Elder GodShinnok, for which he is again promised the restoration of his race.[15]
InMortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002), Reptile returns to Shao Kahn's service. After overhearing Shang Tsung's plot to kill Kahn, he attempts to warn his master but meetsNitara, a vampire who offers knowledge of his race.[16] Reptile pledges his loyalties to her but ultimately realizes she is merely using him. He sets out to kill her but instead finds a mysterious egg belonging to the Dragon KingOnaga.[26] He is not playable inMortal Kombat: Deception (2004), in which the egg transforms him into Onaga's avatar, which sets up the events of the game.[27][28] Separated from Onaga after the latter's defeat, Reptile returns inMortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006) with the then-entire roster of series characters. In the game's opening sequence, he fights alongside the forces of evil in a battle to claim the elementalBlaze's godlike power.[29]
The thunder god and Earth protectorRaiden resets the series timeline in the 2011 reboot gameMortal Kombat, in hopes of preventing Armageddon. Reptile has a minimal presence as a representative of Outworld in its attempt to conquer Earth. In the Shaolin tournament from the original game, he is present from the outset but defeated byJohnny Cage. In the second tournament, he is assigned to fightSub-Zero but loses, and during the invasion of Earth in the retold events ofMortal Kombat 3, Reptile is beaten by riot officerKurtis Stryker in combat.[30]
InMortal Kombat X (2015), Reptile is now identified by the nameSyzoth. He plays an instrumental role in new Outworld rulerKotal Kahn usurping Mileena for the throne, when he reveals that Mileena is not Shao Kahn's biological daughter.[31] Reptile joinsErmac,Erron Black, andFerra/Torr in serving Kotal Kahn as they conflict withCassie Cage's military unit in their attempt to protect their home realm of Outworld from Shinnok's forces.[32]
In the rebooted storyline ofMortal Kombat 1 (2023), Reptile's race of the Zaterrans is no longer extinct, but he becomes an outcast among his people for his ability to assume a humanlike appearance. He is blackmailed into serving Shang Tsung, who is holding his family hostage, and the sorcerer is able to learn Syzoth's shapeshifting ability as a result. After Syzoth fails to contain several captured Earth warriors, Shang Tsung reveals he has already slain his family. As a result, Syzoth joins forces with Fire GodLiu Kang and the Earth heroes to help prevent the destruction of Earth and Outworld by Shang Tsung and his cohort, the necromancerQuan Chi.[33] After Titan Shang Tsung and his forces are defeated at the conclusion, the newly crowned Outworld empress Mileena asks Syzoth to be heremissary to the Zaterrans, which allows him to return to his homeland free of shame. However, he uncovers records revealing that many Zaterrans also have the ability to shapeshift but were killed by their government in order to keep it from spreading, and he vows to find a way to end their barbaric policies.[34]
Reptile was among several series characters originally included in the "Tournament Edition" ofNBA Jam (1993) as unlockable players, but they were removed from later versions of the game at the request of theNBA due to concerns over the violent nature of theMortal Kombat series.[35]
InMalibu Comics'Mortal Kombat comic book series, Reptile joins theMortal Kombat II characters in the three-issue miniseriesGoro: Prince of Pain (1994),[36] and in the six-issue miniseriesBattlewave (1995), he hypnotizesSonya Blade into wanting to marryShao Kahn before the plot is thwarted by the Earth heroes.[37] The junior novelMortal Kombat: Reptile's World (1996), written by C. Dean Anderson, tells the past of Reptile's race through the perspectives of other series characters.[38]
In the 1995 motion pictureMortal Kombat, Reptile appears as a computer-generated bipedal lizard ordered by Shang Tsung to keep Princess Kitana away from the Earth heroes. He follows them into Outworld but is discovered by Liu Kang, after which Reptile assumes a human form to fight Liu Kang but is killed in battle. Reptile was played by actor and martial artist Keith Cooke,[39] and was a late inclusion in response tofocus groups being unimpressed with the film's original fights.[40]
An original character namedKomodai, who bore a physical resemblance to Reptile, was featured in an episode of the animated seriesMortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm (1996).[41] Reptile briefly appears in the 2020 animated filmMortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, in which he is killed bySonya Blade in a fight scene.[42]
Reptile was played by Jon Valera in one episode of the 1998 syndicated television seriesMortal Kombat: Conquest. He is the commander of Shao Kahn's army of Raptors until he betrays Kahn and schemes to share dominion over his domain until he is killed by Kahn's priests.[43] In the 2010 short filmMortal Kombat: Rebirth, a grittier contemporary take on the series canon,[44] Reptile (played by Richard Dorton) is depicted as a cannibalistic killer afflicted withHarlequin-type ichthyosis.[45] In the 2021 film rebootMortal Kombat, Reptile is sent by Shang Tsung to dispatch the chosen Earth participants of the Mortal Kombat tournament, but is killed byKano. Like the 1995 film, the character was depicted in bipedal reptilian form and computer-generated.[46]
A Reptileaction figure was released byHasbro as part of aG.I. Joe line of toys, packaged with the series-themed vehicle for the toyline. The figure comes with a katana and grappling hook.[47] Another action figure to promoteShaolin Monks was released in 2006 byJazwares. Fully posable, it includes an alternate head, detachable tongue and a large-bladedscimitar.[48] He was one of manyMK characters depicted on 2.5" x 3.5" collectible magnets released by Ata-Boy Wholesale in 2011.[49] Reptile also featured prominently in the introduction sequence ofMortal Kombat 4, portions of which were used in a television commercial to promote the game.[50]
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While Reptile has received positive critical reception for his origins as a hidden character, response to his other characteristics has been mixed. Zach Gass ofTheGamer praised the evolution of the character throughout his series appearances. "Like all of the rainbow ninjas in the series, Reptile has grown and developed a look, fighting style, and character all his own."[51] He was fifth inGame Revolution's list of top "old school"Mortal Kombat characters", praised for his introduction inMortal Kombat and his changes in the sequel.[52] Reptile was featured in a 2008MSN article about the ten greatestEaster eggs in gaming.[53] In 2010 UGO, included him on the list of the 25 coolest hidden characters in video gaming.[54] InUGO Networks' 2012 list of the topMortal Kombat characters, Reptile placed sixth, stating that he is the best hidden character in the series.[55]
In a 2020 episode of theRotten Tomatoes podcast "Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong" discussing the 1995Mortal Kombat film, the panelists opined that Reptile is one of the worst characters in the series, mentioning his origin as a palette swap, and argued that the series should have kept him as a hidden character because it was the one thing that made him cool.[56] Reptile's absence inMortal Kombat 11 was questioned by Dale Wilson ofPlayStation LifeStyle, whom stated "With classic characters like Scorpion, Subzero, Johnny Cage, Jade, and Sonya Blade all making appearances inMortal Kombat 11, I find it odd that Reptile was left out of the mix."[57] Gavin Jasper fromDen of Geek criticized Reptile's design in the 1995Mortal Kombat film, stating "he did not age well at all." Gasper was appreciative of Reptile using his acid spit from the games, however.[23]
Media related toReptile (Mortal Kombat) at Wikimedia Commons
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